The claim of immediate resignation of the president for the first time was introduced in the summer of 1992. During one of the rallies, NDP member David Vardanian, arguing that due to awkward policy of our authorities the artillery shells of the enemies are falling into the territory of Armenia, said that consequently President Ter-Petrosyan’s every hour and minute of the stay in power will have disastrous consequences for our country. At about the same time, the late Tigran Hayrapetyan wrote an article called “Presidential zugzwang”, where it was proved that the same first president does not have any good step, and every step will lead to a deterioration of the situation.

I would like to say that both the arguments and the formulations have not been changed in 21.5 years, and it has an objective ground. Armenia has never been in a blissful and safe situation, and, unfortunately, it will not be as such in foreseeable future, there were, are and will be deadly threats from outside and inside, which regularly will put the very existence of our country under question. The opposition has always said and will say that intimidations are caused due to awkward policy of the authorities, and the only way out is the president’s resignation. You can have no doubt that whoever the 4th president of Armenia will be, and whenever he takes the office, at least 6 months later following it, the opposition will claim that the situation is catastrophic, and will claim for the president’s immediate resignation.

I have been always against these claims in all these 21.5 years, but not because our three presidents were flawless, and have always, in all circumstances, taken the right decisions. On the contrary, all three of them made gross errors. Perhaps, I would positively single out the first President of the country who until May 1994 took the country through a very narrow and the only possible “corridor.” However, after the Armistice, when it came the time for the construction, he proceeded by the path of force and “boot” laying grounds for today’s flawed system.

I am against the resignations for two reasons. The first is that the system of injustice, corruption, and looting that was and is in Armenia is due to the president’s personality. The system works because we have very few people, we have the people and the authorities. Opponents are in confusion when they think that “occupying” Baghramyan 26, they will change the situation. And the intensity of external shocks is the direct reflection of the weakness of the state system.

The second reason is more pragmatic: no president will resign at the claim of the opposition. This claim only brings harm to the opposition, because speaking in the same chess language, it is a loss of tempo when you drive your figure forward, your opponent makes a counteraction, and you have to put your figure back to the same place. Your position remains the same, while you opponent’s position is improving.

ARAM ABRAHAMYAN

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